Clip



A. Mouw Dec. 19, 1939.

CLIP

Filed Nov. 8, 1937 Q INVENTOR fid 'fW Mauux: BY

A TTORNE 1 s.

Patented-Dec. 19, 1939 UNIT-El) STATES PATENT oFFici-z CLIP Andrew ltlouw, Ann Arbo Mich, assignor to No- Sag Spring Company, Detroit, Mich a corporation of Michigan Application November 8, 1937, Serial No. 173,343

' 2 Claims. (01, 155-179) The present invention relates to cushion constructions, and in particular is directed to the combination of an improved method of and means for connecting together a spring element and a cooperating structural member.

Objects of the present invention are to provide an; improved connecting element for forming 9., mm and efiective but readily separable connection between two cooperating members; to pro- 10 vide such a connecting element'which is'pa'rticularly adapted to form a connection between one or more spring elements forming part ofQa cushion or like member;' to provide such a connecting other structural member may be freely turned.

35 into it so as to complete the connection.

With the above as well as other objects in view, which appear in the following description and in the appended claims,-a preferred but illustrative embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure l-is a view in elevation of an illustrative "cushioning structure embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a'view in perspective of a connection embodying the invention, and v 35 Fig. 3 is a view in perspective of the improved connectingelement.

It will be appreciated from a complete understanding of the invention, that the improvements thereof may be embodied in connecting elements adapted to form a connection between widely differing cooperating members. In its preferred form, however, the invention is adapted to form a connection between the end of a spiral spring element and a spring of the sinuous longitudi- 45 nally arched type, described 'and claimed in the Kaden Patent No. 2,002,399,, granted May .21,

1935, under which the assignee of the present application is an exclusivelicensee. By way of illustration and not of limitation, thefollowing 50 description is concerned specifically with the just mentioned preferred arrangement.

Referring to the drawing, and particularly Fig.

1 one form of cushioning structure to which the present invention may be applied, may comprise a plurality of groups of conventional coil springs III, the upper ends of which are secured to and confined within an upper frame i2, and the lower ends of which are connected by means of the hereinafter described connecting elements I, to corresponding ones of a series of laterally 5 spaced transverse spring elements IS. The opposite ends of the spring elements ii are secured to the lower frame structure" l8.

Referring particularly to Figs. 2 and 3, it will be noted that the extreme end portion Illa of each coil spring l0 spans and rests upon adjacent laterally turned portions Ilia of the associated supporting spring I6. As is described in more detailin the above identified Kaden patent, each complete supporting spring" is made up of a 1'5 series of similar laterally turned portions and the spring as a whole is longitudinally arched, as shown in Fig. 1, so as to form in itself a re silient supporting body.

Each-connecting element !4 may be formed of a single length of spring wire or equivalent resil- 1 ient material'bent into generally U shape, so as to define leg sections Ida and a bight Mb. The

end portions of the legs Md are offset into gen erally S shape so as to define upwardly presenting seats c and downwardly presenting seats Md. The legs Ma are similarly offset adjacent the bight portion so as to define downwardly presenting seats Me and upwardly presenting seats I. .It will be understood thatthe terms upwardly presenting and "downwardly presenta ing are used in a relative sense herein, for convenience of description; l

Referring again to Fig. 2, it will be noted that each connecting element H is positioned beneath the associated supporting spring IS, with one lateral turn iBa of the latter received in one of the seats I40, with an adjacent lateral turn l6a received in the other seat I40, and with the bight 16b received in the pair of seats Hf, With the parts thus positioned, a firm and efiective threepoint connection is afiordedbetween the supporting spring l6 and the connecting element l4, and the seats Md and Me of the latterprojectabove the general plane of the supporting spring it for cooperation with the coil spring in. The seats Me are positioned far enough above the level of the turn Ilia so that the extreme end portion Ilia of the coil spring I0 may be received and yieldingly wedged between these seats and spring i6. Similarly, the seats Md are positioned at an appropriate'elevation above turns Ilia so as to receive corresponding portions of the end Ilia. A firm and effective three-point conmotion is thus aiiorded between the connecting element l4 and the coil spring l0, which connection causes the end of the coil spring ID to positively bear upon supporting spring l6.

- In use, it may be expected that a compression of each coil spring III will cause the parts thereof which cooperate'with the seats Md to move downwardly somewhat with respect to the supporting spring l6. To accommodate such movement, the seats Md are made sufiiciently deep so as to insure that the spring II) will be retained therewithin. I

In assembling the connection, each connectin element I4 may be positioned adjacent the associated supporting spring IS in the manner previously described, and thereafter, the spiral spring l may be turned in a clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 2 from a position in which the extreme end thereof is positioned adjacent one of the seats I40 to the position shown in Fig. 2. During the course of this clockwise movement, such extreme-end portion of the coil spring l0 successively enters and passes through the seats Nd and thereafter enters the seats Hf and wedges between these seats and the adjacent *sides of the lateral turns Ilia, thus completing the connection. -A reverse turning readily releases the connection.

It will be noted that by spreading or restricting the spacing between the legs of each connecting element l4, it may be accommodated to coil andsupp'orting springs of larger or smaller size. It will further be noticed that the connection affords a simple adjustment of the effective length ofeach coil spring l0, since by continuing the just described clockwise motion of the coil spring ID, the latter may be threaded through the supporting spring 16 and the connecting element ll so as to position asubstantial part th :reof beneath the supporting spring l6.

Although only a single specific embodiment of the invention has been described, it will be appreciated that various modifications in the form and arrangement thereof may be made within the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A clip construction for clamping wire spring elements together comprising a wire element bent uponitself intermediate its ends, said element n being formed to provide. a first hook seat presenting in one direction adjacent said bend, hook seats presenting in a direction opposite to that of said first hook seat located adjacent said first hook seat, the legs of said element having straight portions diverging with the ends of said legs each terminating in a pair of oppositely disposed, adjacent hook seats'with the end seats facing in the opposite direction to that of said first hook seat, said hook seats lying in-planes normal to the plane of said straight portions.

2. A clip for maintaining a pair of spaced elements-in clamped relation comprising, a wire 

